Emberkit's Adventure
by TheOneAndOnlyDustmite
Summary: This is a short story about a kit who strays from his Clan!


Emberkit blinked open his eyes, and saw moonlight shining strongly through the hanging vines that covered the entrance of the nursery. _It must be a full moon!_ Emberkit was dazzled by the light. _What would it be like to go out there?_ He thought curiously. He looked at Cloudstripe's pale outline beside him. She was snoring softly. Emberkit clumsily got to his paws, and with one last glance behind him, walked to the entrance of the nursery, stumbling from tiredness.

He tumbled out onto the ground, blinking. He gazed around him, his eyes wide. _The camp looks so different at night!_ He picked his way through the leaves, and stood, trembling, in front of the ferns that hid the entrance to the camp. He saw a leaf drifting down through the air, and sprung up to catch it. He pinned it to the ground, and with a growl of satisfaction, pounced on it. The wind carried it through the ferns, and he chased after it, into the forest. The thrill of the wind in his fur coursed through him, and all tiredness was forgotten as he chased the leaf. _I'm going to be the best hunter NightClan has seen! _He darted after it, weaving his way through the bushes and brambles that blocked his path. The leaf dropped to the ground, and Emberkit dropped with it, into a crouch. He wiggled his haunches and landed squarely on the leaf, his tiny claws making holes through it.

Suddenly, the wind picked up the leaf again, and Emberkit jumped to his paws, ready to run after it. But an interesting scent stopped him. It smelled like honey, and fresh-kill. Emberkit raced towards it, all thoughts of the leaf forgotten. He leapt over a creek left from the rain, and slowly his surroundings changed from forest to fields. He kept following the scent, unaware of the tall grass waving around him. Suddenly, Emberkit skidded to a halt. There was a new scent, coming from behind him. It smelled a bit like NightClan, but not quite the same. The wind changed direction, and Emberkit was reminded of the original scent. He kept following it, unaware of the danger around him.

The scent was getting stronger, and as he ran around a boulder, the fresh-kill smell became overpowering. Emberkit stopped, his paws trembling. _Where am I? _He thought. He suddenly felt very small in this massive field. A hiss sounded from his throat, although it sounded very small. An amused meow came from behind Emberkit, and he jumped. He spun around, fur bristling. In front of him sat a muddy brown she-cat, who was grooming her sleek pelt, looking rather bemused. "Well, well, well. The mighty hunter finds his prey." Her voice was silky and smooth, like her fur.

"I-I'm not afraid of you!" Emberkit did his best to sound confident, although he was shaking. "There's no need to be afraid, kitty. Did you lose your way?" The she-cat rose neatly to her paws and stalked gracefully towards Emberkit, her tail held high. "Perhaps you want me to help you find it." Her voice became mockingly stern. "Oh dear, what _will_ your Clan say when I bring their poor lost kit home? Did it occur to you, little kitty, that your Clan might be _worried _about you? We must get you home at once!" The she-cat pretended to look concerned. "A-Are you f-from SunClan? You don't sc-scare me!" Emberkit cowered beneath the she-cat's gaze. "Why does it matter, kitty? I know where you're from. You're a poor little NightClan kit who strayed from his nest! I think you would make a nice meal for SunClan!" She lowered her head to look directly at Emberkit. _So it's true! SunClan __**does **__eat kits!_ The she-cat kept walking towards Emberkit until he was flattened against the side of a boulder.

Suddenly a furious yowl sounded from behind him. A golden tom stood outlined at the top of the boulder, his stripes rippling across his pelt. The she-cat lifted her head and her eyes widened, surprised and in shock. She whipped around and was gone in a flash. The golden tom yowled after her. "I told you to stay away, Wildgrass! And don't come back!" His voice was angry. Then he spied Emberkit, and leapt from the boulder.

"You're lucky to be alive, kit. And what are you doing here? Don't you know you're trespassing on SunClan territory?" His eyes narrowed. "Brackenleaf, come here. Check this kit for injuries. Whitefire, take a patrol after Wildgrass. Everyone else can go back to the camp." His voice, while gentle, was full of authority, and the cats assembled behind him mumbled "Yes, Flamestar." A small ginger tom padded up to the mighty cat, with a white apprentice trailing behind him. Emberkit could hear their hushed conversation, and lowered his head shamefully. _It's all my fault. I shouldn'tve left the nursery in the first place._ The white apprentice lifted her head and looked at Emberkit. Her eyes were the colour of ice. She nodded and padded over to Emberkit. "Hi, I'm Heronpaw. I'm the medicine cat apprentice." Her voice was soothing, soft and gentle. Emberkit was suddenly tired, worn out by the adventure. He lay down, mumbled "I'm Emberkit," and drifted into sleep, aware of the sun just above the horizon.

Emberkit woke to hear hushed voices. He recognised Cloudstripe, hushing Sootkit. He stretched and opened his eyes. It was sunhigh already, and he leapt to his paws. "Emberkit! You're awake!" Sootkit's cheerful voice rang out clearly and strongly. "What happened after I fell asleep?" Emberkit wanted to know. "Well, Flamestar brought you home, with his medicine cat. Then they told everyone what had happened and left. You're so lucky! I wish I had gone too!" Cloudstripe stepped forwards and nudged Sootkit out of the way. "I'm so glad you're safe, Emberkit!" Her voice was warm. "That rogue cat's name was Wildgrass. Apparently she was the medicine cat of SunClan until she killed a kit. Now, she roams their territory without being seen, looking for helpless cats." Cloudstripe let a purr rumble through her throat. "Oh, I'm just so glad you're okay!" _So am I! I wish I had never gone to play! _Emberkit knew that his adventure was over, and he also knew to listen to his Clan's rules.


End file.
